March, generally, is an active month. Weatherwise, it’s a transitional month filled with unpredictable and quickly changing weather. In the Northern Hemisphere, there is an adage about March weather: In like a lion, out like a lamb.

This weather pattern signals the end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and in the more northern areas of the Americas, can wreak havoc on the earth. One moment it’s below freezing, too cold to snow, and the next it’s too warm to wear a jacket and it’s raining…and flooding. These changes in temperatures causes rapid expansion and contraction in the earth, creating holes in roads and massive boulders in the middle of lawns.

In the Southern Hemisphere, rains become longer and temperatures become cooler, signaling a transition into Autumn. There aren’t dramatic shifts in temperature, unless one is quite high or close to Antarctic Circle. However, one is still aware that the season is changing and it’s time to pull inward and prepare for a time of rest and nourishment through the winter months.

March is also a month in which Mercury is usually retrograde. This is often really great timing as many people tend to go on a vacation of some kind in March, and a retrograde Mercury can support that…except…it might mess up some of the travelings to and from the vacation a bit. This year, although we haven’t had a Mercury retrograde in March, we’ve still had the shadow effects of it and will finally complete on the 21st…the same space as the Equinox.

The Equinox is the time of year in which light and dark balance each other. The day-time and night-time are equal lengths before tipping one way or the other…more light or more dark, depending on your hemisphere. In ancient times, and in many non-Western cultures, the Equinox is celebrated as the beginning of the year.

Such a celebration is fascinating to me, because it makes me wonder why, exactly, the change was made to celebrate at the extreme dark time. It also makes me wonder how that impacted society in general…to celebrate a new year in an extreme dark time rather than in a balanced time of year. Certainly, in the Western world, we not only celebrate the new year in the extreme dark, we also make a big deal of the height of summer…the extreme light. Not a whole lot is mentioned around the points of balance…the equinoxes.

In the Jewish tradition, I find it fascinating that there are several beginning points in the calender…celebrating different things. The three most prominent beginning points are: The birthday of the trees, the agricultural new year, and the beginning of life new year. The birthday of the trees usually falls sometime in late January or February, as that’s when the sap begins to flow again. The agricultural new year is celebrated around the March equinox with Passover, and the beginning of life new year is celebrated around the September equinox with the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.

Judaism is strongly steeped in the ancient agricultural rituals and celebrations, which are, essentially, pagan. So, if we go back even farther, we discover that the equinoxes are quite important times in history…equal in importance to the solstices. The Vernal equinox, which is what we are celebrating in the Northern Hemisphere, was a time of rebirth and fertility. Its name is Ostara, relating to the eastern star, Venus and her symbologies were the hare and the egg. Later, the spelling changed to Oestar, and then to Easter. This rebirth is reflected, astrologically, in the shift of signs from water Pisces, the culminating sign of the entire astrological year, to that of fire Aries, the beginning sign of the astrological calendar.

In the Southern Hemisphere, however, this time is the Autumnal celebration and is named Harvest Home or Mabon in pagan traditions. Its celebration is a feast of thanksgiving for the harvest and the blessings of the earth to sustain humanity through the winter months. The shift from Pisces to Aries is not quite as strong as the shift from Virgo to Libra, but it is still significant.

These pagan traditions and celebrations really honor a more body-oriented time…of procreation and sustenance…something I feel that Western culture has shunned in fear. As a result, even though this is a time for balancing, many in this culture never find it. Not only is there a fear and shame attached to the physical-ness of the body, but there is also a separation from the natural rhythms of the phsyical planet and the effects She has on the body. So, it’s not surprising then, that this time of year requires some self-care when it comes to the body…for those in both hemispheres.

This point of transition is the time when the body releases in rather strong and dramatic ways. It naturally knows that a recalibration is in order, and it can do it most easily when we, the riders, choose foods that will support the body in its releases and balancing. In other words, this is the perfect time to do a cleanse…provided it’s done responsibly.

Cleansing responsibly requires several steps. The first, is to recognize that your body is already doing this on its own. Anything you do to support it will dramatically increase the results…whatever those results may be.

The second step is to recognize that not everyone can do the same cleanse, and no one can do the same cleanse every year for the entirety of his/her life. Every year requires something different, and your body will tell you what that difference is…if you ask and listen and trust the answer. For some people, it will simply be cutting out meat. For others, it will be increasing fluids. For others, it will be increasing greens and sprouts. For others, it will be fruit only. For others, it will be lightly steamed vegetables with cooked grains. For others, it will be raw food only. Whatever your body asks for, is what is appropriate.

The third step is to recognize that the cleanse doesn’t have to be a specific duration every time. Remember, your body is already doing this work…you’re simply supporting it. For some people who are super clean internally, 1-3 days may be enough. For others who have a heavy diet of meat and animal protein, a longer and more gentle cleanse will be the most beneficial.

The fourth step is to remember that a cleanse means evacuation. In order for the evacuation to be successful, the routes must work well. The four most common routes of evacuation are: the digestive system and bowels, the urinary system, the lungs, and the skin. If any of your systems of evacuation are sluggish, focus on a gentle cleanse that will take 10-14 days to complete. During that time, support the evacuation systems with supplements and activities to enhance health in those areas. For example, to support sluggish lungs, increase aerobic activity. To support sluggish skin secretions, evident through blemishes, do a full-body scrub, gently, and with a hot washcloth, 2-3 times a day. To support the urinary system, increase food fluids, such as soups, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, herbal tea, lettuce, and fruits and avoid dehydrating items such as alcohol, caffeine, and sodas. To support the digestive system and bowels, consider taking probiotics and digestive enzymes.

The fifth step is to recognize that not everyone is healthy enough to do a cleanse. For those with inflammatory illnesses, such as arthritis, a cleanse could be beneficial. But, for those with contagious diseases, it probably is not a great idea…building up the body’s immune system is more important. Someone with poison oak should definitely avoid the full-body scrub, as should someone with ringworm or any other contagious skin condition. Anyone currently under a physician’s care and anyone with a chronic condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, should always consult with their physician before beginning a cleanse, as the changes in the body could be dramatic.

The sixth step is to spend time in meditation and gratitude. You, the soul, were invited here to this planet and to work with this body. Your body is perfect for you in this lifetime, and this is a beautiful time to take the time to appreciate all that it has provided for you. This could include phrases of appreciation, or it could mean getting a massage, or it could mean taking Epsom salt baths, or it could mean getting some exercise, or it could mean getting your nails or hair done. Anything that nourishes and refreshes and rejuvenates the body will not only be appreciated by your body, but will greatly enhance the process of cleansing and balancing. This step can be done by everyone.

Whatever you choose, may your body’s transition time be graceful and easy and joyful and supported.

In January of this year, a situation entered my life that rocked my world. It was a situation in which there was injustice and hidden agendas and inferences and manipulation and cover-ups and exposures and righteousness and arrogance and old-world values clashing with new-world practices. Fury raged through my veins and I became eloquent as I sought to fire up a crusade against the perpetrators.

I stewed and roiled and wallowed in this situation for several weeks as it consumed every part of my life…even my dreams. My inner life became a seething mass of emotions ready to fight against all the injustices of the world…and let me tell you, there are a LOT of them…everywhere I looked there was another one just asking, nay, begging to be exposed through my scrutinizing eye.

And then came February with the challenge to follow the pleasure throughout its moon cycle, and I was forced to admit that some part of this riling experience was pleasurable. I had energy. I had focus. I had drive. I loved the way words came together so easily to shame and humiliate another…way easier than taking candy from a baby. Seriously…has anyone actually tried to take candy from a baby? Not easy.

But somewhere in the midst of all this pleasure seeking, I was challenged to examine this particular type of pleasure to see if it really offered a freeing pleasure…a nourishing pleasure…a pleasure that resulted in unconditional love and generosity…a pleasure that was willing to find connection between factions rather than differences…a pleasure that created harmony rather than dissent…a pleasure that allowed me to feel peace and rest in the midst of chaos rather than creating more.

I neither welcomed nor appreciated this challenge. It seemed anti-climactic…boring…passive…victimizing…weak. And I was in no mood to exhibit weakness. There werebad guys to be exposed and brought to justice! Just writing about all of this is getting my blood pressure up and my adrenaline cruising again…which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I have some major box-packing to do for an upcoming move.

I digress.

Sort of.

Then several pieces of information came together for me…from others…repeatedly…in the same theme…until finally I got the message.

The first piece came to me through a group of friends who visited their childhood homes in Africa and posted fabulous and amazing photographs of their adventures. One picture was of a wide, open sky littered with pockets of cumulus clouds over a wind-swept bushveld through which elephants roamed freely. This picture reminded me of the freedom I felt when I too roamed such spaces, singing at the top of my lungs or lying on the sweet-smelling grass as the giraffe and Thomson’s Gazelle grazed around me. Remembering, my heart opened, my chest physically lifted, deepened, and widened. In this space, all the best parts of me came together at once. I felt generous…connected…joyous…adventerous…excited…silly…energized…confident.

In another picture, my friends held, sat with, petted, played, and leaned up against cheetahs, lions, and a hyena. Honestly, I’m not that afraid of lions…and only slightly nervous around cheetahs. I certainly have a healthy respect for them and their capacity to harm me…which is quite great. However, I have always been able to see beyond the destructive capacity and also see their kind and compassionate sides…never once struggling to harmonize those two seemingly opposing aspects.

Of the hyena, on the other hand, I am not such a fan. In fact, my disgust and abhorrence for the hyena could only have been matched by my fear of snakes. And yet…here was one who was demonstrating completely different attitudes and behaviors from any hyena I had ever encountered. It was loving…and snuggly…and playful with humans…and loved a good joke. Its movements, which I always saw as sinister, clumsy, and deceptive way before The Lion King existed, were graceful and elegant.

I didn’t like this shift of perception. I liked having this animal be an enemy. I liked the separation between the good (me) and the bad (hyena). I liked being “the good guy” and having allies against “the bad guy.” It’s how I made friends…it’s how I determined who was in my community.

And here was the problem. If hyena was no longer bad, then that meant what? I was no longer good? If the hyena was no longer bad, then did that also mean I didn’t really have a community? I no longer had a place? I no longer belonged? If the hyena was good, how could I define myself? If the hyena was good…what was left to fight against?

The answer came to me came in the form of a sermon I heard as a result of performing for a church service. It had been a really long time since I’ve spent much time with the Christian scriptures, and I almost laughed with delight when the texts for the sermon came from a passage that I had loved when I was younger…Matthew 5:38-6:34. The best part was that I heard these texts in a completely new way…with fresh eyes and insight into my present swirling emotional dilemma.

This particular passage is actually an instruction manual for non-violent resistance. It also talks about restraint of the emotions through appropriate justice, avoiding revenge or excessive retaliation, personal responsibility, and using personal power without disempowering another. It talks about being more concerned with daily living practices than preaching; about allowing…and flowing…and how to avoid suffering by suggesting that we welcome what is to exist.

And then this part kept echoing through my thoughts:

And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life?

What does it mean by worrying?

I know that worrying often means being excessively concerned about a possible negative outcome of a situation…excessive being the key, and nebulously defined word. But…what if worrying also included obsessive thoughts…about anything. If so, did that mean I wasn’t supposed to worry about anything? What about all the injustices in the world? Don’t I have a responsibility to speak out against them? What about all the people who need help? Don’t I need to help them? What about all the people who are so clearly evil and wrong? Don’t I need to expose them? Censure them? Punish them?

But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer…love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Seriously???

That’s it???

gulp*

Crap!

This Buddhist/Hindu/Spiritual perspective is here too?

Bugger it!

I like the resistance and the righteous indignation and the crusade speeches. Except the part where my stomach gets knotty…oh, and the part where I don’t sleep so well…and oh, the part where I start distrusting everyone…and oh…the part where nothing in my life is good because I’m consumed by all the horrid things around me.

Ug.

How the hell does this get transformed???

…don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For…your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

What does that even mean…to “pursue his kingdom and righteousness?”

And this was the final piece…a Tall Cups session with Aleya Dao. I had been sending messages to her Higher Self for several weeks…messages around this disturbing situation, wondering how to handle, engage, and resolve it. And, during this latest session, a vital segment addressed my questions…with an elegant, and forgotten insight around personal responsibility and self-empowerment.

All this time, I had been trying to fight fights that weren’t mine. Mostly…my body deva had been trying to fight fights that weren’t hers. The more we got involved in situations that didn’t belong to us, the more we disempowered those who were actually involved. And, by getting involved, we took on the responsibility for the situation even though there was absolutely no way we could actually do anything about it…because it didn’t belong to us. And, as long as we kept the responsibility on us, those to whom it actually belonged couldn’t recognize it as theirs…which meant they were also unable to stand up for themselves and solve it for themselves. By getting unnecessarily involved, we were acting arrogantly…demonstrating a hidden belief that we know better than the other people, and that they weren’t wise enough or strong enough or capable enough to take care of themselves. In essence, such actions were the ultimate form of disrespect to another being. And it felt awful.

All I had to do was pull my responsibility and power back to myself…in all dimensions and lifetimes where I express myself, and send every one else’s back to where it rightfully belonged…along with all appropriate information, where it has the capacity to be received. Then, I invited my body deva and team to do the same. Change-o presto! Balance and peace was restored…even though my mind was still struggling to reconcile this habitual perception and perspective with the practice that my heart just chose.

Bottom line, my lesson and message for this moon cycle is this:

Allow, or even welcome, what is to exist,

Mind my own business through keeping my mouth shut while focusing on living according to my internal connection upwards,

Find strength through a present connection to the heart’s guidance, and